EP3315900B1

EP3315900B1 - Online thickness detection platform

Info

Publication number: EP3315900B1
Application number: EP17198913.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lei Zhou; Dandan Zhang; Roberto Francisco-Yi LU; Qinglong Zeng
Original assignee: Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd; Shenzhen Shenli Precision Machine Technology Co Ltd; TE Connectivity Corp
Current assignee: Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd; Shenzhen Shenli Precision Machine Technology Co Ltd; TE Connectivity Corp
Priority date: 2016-10-31
Filing date: 2017-10-27
Publication date: 2019-09-04
Anticipated expiration: 2037-10-27
Also published as: CN108007366A; US20180120095A1; EP3315900A1; US10352687B2

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 2016109710132 filed on October, 31, 2016 in the State Intellectual Property Office of China.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to an online thickness detection platform.

Description of the Related Art

In the prior art, it is often required to detect a thickness of a multilayer stacked plate in high accuracy. For example, the multilayer stacked plate may comprise a PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) material layer and two metal layers covered on both sides of the PTC material layer, respectively. Because the electrical and thermal properties of the multilayer stacked plate are closely related to its thickness, the thickness of the multilayer stacked plate must be detected in high accuracy. In order to detect the thickness of multilayer stacked plate with high accuracy, in the prior art, offline detection is usually used. In this case, before detecting, it is necessary to produce a multilayer stacked plate with sufficient length, and then to accurately detect the thickness of the multilayer stacked plate in an offline manner in the laboratory. If the difference between the thickness of the detected multilayer stacked plate and the preset thickness is larger than a preset value, it would have to discard the length of multilayer stacked plate, which will lead to considerable waste.
DE 20 2015 106 767 U1 discloses a thickness measurement device for measuring the thickness of a rolling strip. The device comprises distance sensors arranged above and below the rolling strip for measuring the distance between the sensor and the top and bottom surface of the rolling strip, respectively. The distance sensors are mounted on a C-type frame that can be moved perpendicular to a transportation direction of the rolling strip to adjust the measuring track.
CN 201 364 149 Y discloses a detecting equipment which measures width and thickness of metals and non-metals in an online and non-contact manner. A sensor is arranged on a microcrystalline, marble or granite measuring frame, which is arranged in an outer casing. The measuring frame is mounted on a slide rail, so that the measuring frame can be smoothly moved. Two sensors are respectively fixed on the bottom plate and top plate and are mounted on a C-typed frame through connecting plates.
JP 2002 131044 A relates to a non-contact thickness gauge with an upper and lower sensor, which synchronously move along a sheet material to be continuously measured. The upper and lower sensor are mounted on a chain or endless belt, which is arranged on a frame.
In EP 0 452 666 A1 a method and the equipment required for detecting the thickness of a coating attached to a film, such as a paper band or similar, by cross scanning is disclosed. A pair of thickness sensors simultaneously move in opposite directions at right angles to the direction the film is advancing, to which the coating to be measured has already been applied.
US 3 822 383 A concerns a thickness profile gauging apparatus, in particular for the detection of the thickness of a metal strip, in which first and second radiation sources irradiate the strip and first and second receivers detect radiation attenuated by the strip and produce signals representative of the strip thickness.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure has been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above mentioned disadvantages. The present invention provides an online thickness detection platform according to claim 1, comprising: a main frame having a first beam and a second beam extending in a first horizontal direction and opposite to each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction; a C-typed frame slidably mounted on the main frame and having a first arm and a second arm extending in the first horizontal direction and opposite to each other in the vertical direction; a first laser sensor and a second laser sensor mounted on the first arm and the second arm of the C-typed frame, respectively; and a driving mechanism mounted on the main frame and adapted to drive the C-typed frame to slide back and forth in the first horizontal direction, wherein the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor are configured to detect a thickness of a product passing between the first arm and the second arm and moving in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction, wherein the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor do not contact the product during detecting the thickness of the product. The first arm of the C-typed frame is slidably mounted on the first beam of the main frame; the driving mechanism drives the second arm of the C-typed frame, so that the first arm and the second arm of the C-typed frame move back and forth synchronously in the first horizontal direction.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a sliding rail extending in the first horizontal direction is provided on one of the first beam of the main frame and the first arm of the C-typed frame; a sliding block mating with the sliding rail is provided on the other of the first beam of the main frame and the first arm of the C-typed frame.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the driving mechanism comprises a ball screw and a drive motor adapted to drive a lead screw of the ball screw to rotate; the second arm of the C-typed frame is connected to a nut of the ball screw, so that the C-typed frame is driven by the nut of the ball screw to move back and forth in the first horizontal direction.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a first adjusting device and a second adjusting device are mounted on the first arm and the second arm of the C-typed frame, respectively; the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor are mounted on the first adjusting device and the second adjusting device, respectively; the first adjusting device and the second adjusting device are adapted to adjust positions of the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor, respectively, so that the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor are aligned to each other in a thickness direction of the product to be detected.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first adjusting device and the second adjusting device are detachably mounted on the first arm and the second arm of the C-typed frame, respectively, so that the first/second adjusting device and the first/second laser sensor mounted thereon are capable of being replaced as a whole.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the online thickness detection platform further comprises a control cabinet in which electrical components of the online thickness detection platform are installed.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the product to be detected is a plate member comprising a PTC material layer and two metal layers provided on opposite surfaces of the PTC material layer, respectively; the PTC material layer extends beyond both edges of the metal layer, so that a width of the PTC material layer is larger than that of the metal layers; the online thickness detection platform is configured to detect the thickness of the product within a surface area of the metal layers.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor detect a point on a longitudinal edge of the metal layer at the beginning of detecting the thickness of the product, then this point is used as a starting point of detection.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor move back and forth between two longitudinal edges of the metal layer during detecting the thickness of the product.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor detect the thickness of the product during moving from one longitudinal edge to the other longitudinal edge of the metal layer, but do not detect the thickness of the product during moving from the other longitudinal edge to the one longitudinal edge of the metal layer.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the first laser sensor and the second laser sensor detect the thickness of the product during moving back and forth between the two longitudinal edges of the metal layer.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the online thickness detection platform further comprises an alarm device configured to make an alarm when the detected thickness of the product is greater than a predetermined maximum thickness or when the detected thickness of the product is less than a predetermined minimum thickness.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the main frame is made of marble.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig.1 is an illustrative perspective view of an online thickness detection platform according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;
Fig.2 is an illustrative perspective view of a ball screw of a driving mechanism of the online thickness detection platform of Fig.1;
Fig.3 is an illustrative perspective view of a product to be detected by the online thickness detection platform of Fig.1; and
Fig.4 shows a motion track of a first laser sensor and a second laser sensor, relative to the detected product, of the online thickness detection platform of Fig.1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE IVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
According to a general concept of the present disclosure, there is provided an online thickness detection platform according to claim 1.
Fig.1 is an illustrative perspective view of an online thickness detection platform according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
As shown in Fig.1, in an embodiment, the online thickness detection platform mainly comprises a main frame 100, a C-typed frame 200, a first laser sensor 510, a second laser sensor 520, and a driving mechanism 300. The main frame 100 has a first beam 110 and a second beam 120 extending in a first horizontal direction X and opposite to each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction X. The C-typed frame 200 is slidably mounted on the main frame 100 and has a first arm 210 and a second arm 220 extending in the first horizontal direction X and opposite to each other in the vertical direction. The first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 are mounted on the first arm 210 and the second arm 220 of the C-typed frame 200, respectively. The driving mechanism 300 is mounted on the main frame 100 and adapted to drive the C-typed frame 200 to slide back and forth in the first horizontal direction X.
As shown in Fig.1, in an embodiment, the product 10 to be detected is adapted to move in a second horizontal direction Y perpendicular to the first horizontal direction X and passes between the first arm 210 and the second arm 220 and between the first beam 110 and the second beam 120. The first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 are configured to detect the thickness of the product 10 passing between the first arm 210 and the second arm 220 without contacting the product 10. That is to say, the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 do not contact the product 10 during detecting the thickness of the product 10.
As shown in Fig.1, in an embodiment, the first arm 210 of the C-typed frame 200 is slidably mounted on the first beam 110 of the main frame 100. The driving mechanism 300 drives the second arm 220 of the C-typed frame 200, so that the first arm 210 and the second arm 220 of the C-typed frame 200 move back and forth synchronously in the first horizontal direction X.
As shown in Fig.1, in an embodiment, a sliding rail 130 extending in the first horizontal direction X is provided on one of the first beam 110 of the main frame 100 and the first arm 210 of the C-typed frame 200; a sliding block adapted to be mated with the sliding rail 130 is provided on the other of the first beam 110 of the main frame 100 and the first arm 210 of the C-typed frame 200. In this way, through mating the sliding block with the sliding rail 130, the C-typed frame 200 may slide back and forth relative to the main frame 100 in the first horizontal direction X.
Fig.2 is an illustrative perspective view of a ball screw 310 of a driving mechanism 300 of the online thickness detection platform of Fig.1.
As shown in Figs. 1-2, in an embodiment, the driving mechanism 300 mainly comprises a ball screw 310 and a drive motor (not shown) adapted to drive a lead screw 311 of the ball screw 310 to rotate. The drive motor may be directly and coaxially connected to the lead screw 311. The second arm 220 of the C-typed frame 200 is connected to a nut 312 of the ball screw 310, so that the C-typed frame 200 is driven by the nut 312 of the ball screw 310 to move back and forth in the first horizontal direction X.
As shown in Figs. 1-2, in an embodiment, the ball screw 310 may convert a rotation motion of the drive motor into a linear motion of the C-typed frame 200 in the first horizontal direction X. In the illustrated embodiment, in order to realize the reciprocating movement of the C-typed frame 200 in the first horizontal direction X, it needs to periodically change the rotation direction of the drive motor.
As shown in Figs. 1-2, in an embodiment, a first adjusting device 410 and a second adjusting device 420 are mounted on the first arm 210 and the second arm 220 of the C-typed frame 200, respectively. The first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 are mounted on the first adjusting device 410 and the second adjusting device 420, respectively. The first adjusting device 410 and the second adjusting device 420 are adapted to adjust positions of the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520, respectively, so that the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 are aligned to each other in a thickness direction (perpendicular to the first horizontal direction X and the second horizontal direction Y) of the product 10 to be detected.
As shown in Figs. 1-2, in an embodiment, the first adjusting device 410 and the second adjusting device 420 are detachably mounted on the first arm 210 and the second arm 220 of the C-typed frame 200, respectively, so that the first/second adjusting device 410/420 and the first/second laser sensor 510/520 mounted thereon are capable of being replaced as a whole. In this way, the first/second laser sensor 510/520 may be easily and conveniently replaced by a new one or any other type of laser sensor.
Referring to Fig.1 again, in an embodiment, the online thickness detection platform further comprises a control cabinet 600 in which electrical components of the online thickness detection platform are installed.
Fig.3 is an illustrative perspective view of the product 10 to be detected by the online thickness detection platform of Fig.1.
As shown in Fig.3, in an embodiment, the product 10 to be detected is a plate member comprising a PTC material layer 12 and two metal layers 11, 11 provided on opposite surfaces of the PTC material layer 12, respectively. The PTC material layer 12 extends beyond both edges of the metal layer 11, so that a width of the PTC material layer 12 is larger than that of the metal layers 11. The online thickness detection platform of Fig.1 is configured to detect the thickness of the product 10 within a surface area of the metal layers 11.
As shown in Fig.3, it only needs to detect the thickness of the product 10 within the surface area of the metal layers 11; Thereby, at the beginning of detecting the thickness of the product 10, it's firstly needed to detect a point on a longitudinal edge 11F of the metal layer 11by the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520, then this point is used as a starting point of the detection.
Fig. 4 shows a motion track g of the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520, relative to the detected product 10, of the online thickness detection platform of Fig.1.
As shown in Figs. 1-4, in an embodiment, the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 move back and forth between two longitudinal edges 11F of the metal layer 11 during detecting the thickness of the product 10. Thereby, as shown in Fig.4, the motion track g of the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 relative to the detected product 10 exhibits a zigzag wave line.
As shown in Fig.4, in an embodiment, the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 detect the thickness of the product 10 during moving from one longitudinal edge 11F to the other longitudinal edge 11F of the metal layer 11, but do not detect the thickness of the product 10 during moving from the other longitudinal edge 11F to the one longitudinal edge 11F of the metal layer 11. As shown in Fig.4, a dot on the motion track g represents a sampling point p for detecting the thickness, and the accuracy of the thickness detection may be adjusted by controlling a sampling frequency through adjusting the number of the sampling points p, that is to say, the accuracy of the thickness detection may be adjusted by controlling the distance between adjacent sampling points.
In an embodiment, during movement of the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 from the one longitudinal edge 11F to the other longitudinal edge 11F of the metal layer 11, the online thickness detection platform may determine whether the thickness of the product 10 is qualified according to the thickness detected by the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520, that is, the online thickness detection platform may automatically determine whether the detected thickness is within an allowable thickness range, namely, between a predetermined maximum thickness and a predetermined minimum thickness.
Please be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, for example, in another embodiment, the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 not only detect the thickness of the product 10 during moving from one longitudinal edge 11F to the other longitudinal edge 11F of the metal layer 11, but also detect the thickness of the product 10 during moving from the other longitudinal edge 11F to the one longitudinal edge 11F of the metal layer 11. In this way, accuracy of thickness detection is improved.
In an embodiment, the online thickness detection platform may further comprise an alarm device configured to make an alarm when the detected thickness of the product 10 is greater than the predetermined maximum thickness or when the detected thickness of the product 10 is less than the predetermined minimum thickness.
In an embodiment, the main frame 100 is made of marble. Since a thermal expansion coefficient of marble is small, the main frame 100 made of marble is not easily deformed when temperature changes, thereby improving the accuracy of thickness detection.
In another embodiment, the sliding rail 130 and/or the C-typed frame 200 may be also made of marble. In this way, the accuracy of thickness detection may be further improved.
Hereafter, a process of online detecting the thickness of the product in real-time by the online thickness detection platform is described. The process mainly comprises the following steps:

S100: adjusting positions of the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 by the first adjusting device 410 and the second adjusting device 420, so that the first laser sensor 510 and second laser sensor 520 are aligned to each other in the thickness direction of the product 10 to be detected;
S200: setting parameters of the product 10 on a production equipment and starting the production equipment to start the production of the product 10;
S300: starting the online thickness detection platform, so that the first laser sensor 510 and second laser sensor 520 begin to move in first horizontal direction X, and detecting a point on a longitudinal edge 11F of the metal layer 11 at the beginning of detecting the thickness of the product 10, then this point is used as a starting point of detection;
S400: moving the first laser sensor 510 and second laser sensor 520 from one longitudinal edge (for example, a left longitudinal edge) 11F to the other longitudinal edge (for example, a right longitudinal edge) 11F of the metal layer 11 and detecting the thickness of the product 10;
S500: processing data detected by the first laser sensor 510 and the second laser sensor 520 by a computer, and determining whether the detected thickness is within the allowable thickness range;
S600: If the detected thickness is out of the allowable thickness range, the alarm device alarms and the production is stopped; if the detected thickness is within the allowable thickness range, the thickness detection and the production of the product is continued;
S700: moving the first laser sensor 510 and second laser sensor 520 from the other longitudinal edge (for example, the right longitudinal edge) 11F to the one longitudinal edge (for example, the left longitudinal edge) 11F of the metal layer 11 without detecting the thickness of the product 10;
S800: repeating the steps S400 to S700 until the production of the product 10 is completed.

In the above various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, since the thickness of the product may be detected online by the online thickness detection platform, the thickness of the product may be monitored in real-time. Once the thickness of the product is out of an allowed value range, alarm is made and production of the product is stopped in time. Thereby, it may avoid producing a large number of unqualified products with a thickness out of the allowed value range, thus waste is prevented.
It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.
Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the appended claims.
As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "one embodiment" of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments "comprising" or "having" an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.
The invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

An online thickness detection platform, comprising:
a main frame (100) having a first beam (110) and a second beam (120) extending in a first horizontal direction (X) and opposite to each other in a vertical direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction (X);

a C-typed frame (200) slidably mounted on the main frame (100) and having a first arm (210) and a second arm (220) extending in the first horizontal direction (X) and opposite to each other in the vertical direction;

a first laser sensor (510) and a second laser sensor (520) mounted on the first arm (210) and the second arm (220) of the C-typed frame (200), respectively; and

a driving mechanism (300) mounted on the main frame (100) and adapted to drive the C-typed frame (200) to slide back and forth in the first horizontal direction (X),

wherein the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520) are configured to detect a thickness of a product (10) passing between the first arm (210) and the second arm (220) and moving in a second horizontal direction (Y) perpendicular to the first horizontal direction (X),

wherein the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520) do not contact the product (10) during detecting the thickness of the product (10),

wherein the first arm (210) of the C-typed frame (200) is slidably mounted on the first beam (110) of the main frame (100); and

wherein the driving mechanism (300) drives the second arm (220) of the C-typed frame (200), so that the first arm (210) and the second arm (220) of the C-typed frame (200) move back and forth synchronously in the first horizontal direction (X).
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 1,
wherein a sliding rail (130) extending in the first horizontal direction (X) is provided on one of the first beam (110) of the main frame (100) and the first arm (210) of the C-typed frame (200);
wherein a sliding block mating with the sliding rail (130) is provided on the other of the first beam (110) of the main frame (100) and the first arm (210) of the C-typed frame (200).
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 1 or 2,
wherein the driving mechanism (300) comprises a ball screw (310) and a drive motor adapted to drive a lead screw (311) of the ball screw (310) to rotate;
wherein the second arm (220) of the C-typed frame (200) is connected to a nut (312) of the ball screw (310), so that the C-typed frame (200) is driven by the nut (312) of the ball screw (310) to move back and forth in the first horizontal direction (X).
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 3,
wherein a first adjusting device (410) and a second adjusting device (420) are mounted on the first arm (210) and the second arm (220) of the C-typed frame (200), respectively;
wherein the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520) are mounted on the first adjusting device (410) and the second adjusting device (420), respectively;
wherein the first adjusting device (410) and the second adjusting device (420) are adapted to adjust positions of the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520), respectively, so that the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520) are aligned to each other in a thickness direction of the product (10) to be detected.
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 4,
wherein the first adjusting device (410) and the second adjusting device (420) are detachably mounted on the first arm (210) and the second arm (220) of the C-typed frame (200), respectively, so that the first/second adjusting device (410/420) and the first/second laser sensor (510/520) mounted thereon are capable of being replaced as a whole.
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 5, further comprising:
a control cabinet (600) in which electrical components of the online thickness detection platform are installed.
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 1,
wherein the product (10) to be detected is a plate member comprising a PTC material layer (12) and two metal layers (11, 11) provided on opposite surfaces of the PTC material layer (12), respectively;
wherein the PTC material layer (12) extends beyond both edges of the metal layer (11), so that a width of the PTC material layer (12) is larger than that of the metal layers (11);
wherein the online thickness detection platform is configured to detect the thickness of the product (10) within a surface area of the metal layers (11).
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 7,
wherein the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520) detect a point on a longitudinal edge (11F) of the metal layer (11) at the beginning of detecting the thickness of the product (10), the point being used as a starting point of detection.
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 8,
wherein the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520) move back and forth between two longitudinal edges (11F) of the metal layer (11) during detecting the thickness of the product (10).
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 9,
wherein the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520) detect the thickness of the product (10) during moving from one longitudinal edge (11F) to the other longitudinal edge (11F) of the metal layer (11), but do not detect the thickness of the product (10) during moving from the other longitudinal edge (11F) to the one longitudinal edge (11F) of the metal layer (11).
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 9,
wherein the first laser sensor (510) and the second laser sensor (520) detect the thickness of the product (10) during moving back and forth between the two longitudinal edges (11F) of the metal layer (11).
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 10, further comprising:
an alarm device configured to make an alarm when the detected thickness of the product (10) is greater than a predetermined maximum thickness or when the detected thickness of the product (10) is less than a predetermined minimum thickness.
The online thickness detection platform according to claim 1, wherein the main frame (100) is made of marble.